Asia’s largest airline, Korean Air, has added Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to its growing list of international destinations.

Beginning May 2, Korean Air will connect Houston to its hub at Seoul Incheon Airport with four weekly flights aboard its Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

Courtesy AirTeamImages.com

“We’re very bullish on the Americas,” says John Jackson, the airline’s vice president of marketing for North and South America in a release. “Houston is the fifth largest metro area in the U.S. with a very strong travel market to Asia. We’ve decided to earn our fair share of the market with a highly competitive product and service that’s hard to beat.”

Korean Air currently flies to 11 other US destinations, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.

The new route is Houston’s third new Asian destination added in the past two years, with Turkish Airlines launching Istanbul and Air China adding Beijing.

Houston has seen a rise in the size of its Korean community over recent years, which helped the airport land the new route.

“The economic and cultural ties that exist between the city of Houston and Korea continue to grow stronger in the 21st century,” says Houston Aviation Director, Mario Diaz. “Korean Air recognizes the potential that lies within this growing relationship and the Houston Airport System looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”